Israel hits Lebanon, Gaza hard on Oct. 7 anniversary

Israel launched major strikes on Gaza and Lebanon as the country commemorated the anniversary of the violent Oct. 7 attack that triggered its yearlong offensive against Hamas and Hezbollah militants.

Israeli airstrikes on Sunday on a mosque and school in central Gaza, which the military said targeted Hamas members, killed at least 26 people, according to the coastal enclave’s health authorities. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also hit targets in Beirut’s southern suburbs in its most intense bombardment of the city since the opening of a broader war front with Hezbollah in Lebanon last month.

Hezbollah fired rockets Sunday at the northern Israeli city of Haifa, injuring 10 people and damaging buildings. The IDF said it was investigating why its air defenses failed to intercept the barrage, according to Israeli media.

The IDF also announced its fighter jets struck launchers and tunnels in Gaza to foil a planned rocket attack on Oct. 7, Israeli media reported.

Oct. 7 marks one year since Hamas’ cross-border raid which killed 1,200 Israelis and triggered Israel’s invasion of Gaza, in which it has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians and left the besieged strip in ruins.

Ceremonies and vigils commemorating the Hamas attack took place across Israel on Monday, including a moment of silence led by Israeli President Isaac Herzog at the site of the Supernova music festival where 364 people were killed by Hamas militants.

Leaders including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron also issued their condolences.

Over the weekend, Macron and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traded barbs after Macron called to halt the supply of weapons used in Gaza to Israel. Netanyahu labeled the French leader’s statement a “disgrace.” The two leaders spoke by phone on Sunday but Macron did not retract his call for an arms embargo.

Israel’s conflict intensified last month, as the country more directly targeted Iran-backed political movement and militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Israel and Hezbollah have traded rocket fire almost daily since Oct. 7, 2023, but the hostilities escalated sharply in September, with the IDF assassinating the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and launching a ground incursion in southern Lebanon.